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Tired of Toxic Chemicals? We've Got a Solution.

Over this past year, we've learned more and more about the problem of toxic chemicals. In 2010, the President's Cancer Panel showed a link between exposures to toxic chemicals and rising cancer rates. (1) Six months later, new research from the Journal of Pediatrics showed that a recent rise in early puberty for girls is linked to exposure to endocrine disruptors, which are rampant in every day items, such as household cleaners and cosmetics.(2)

We know there’s a problem. Finally, we have a solution: The Safe Chemicals Act.

The Safe Chemicals Act is a much needed update to our not-so-current toxics legislation, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. In 1976, we didn’t know as much about how toxic chemicals can migrate from the materials and products in which they're used – including furniture, plastics, and food cans – into our bodies. Thirty five years later, The Federal Centers for Disease Control has found that the blood or tissues of almost every American carry hundreds of these chemicals, some present even before birth. Yet under the outdated TSCA, the EPA has only been able to require testing of a few hundred of the 62,000 chemicals that have been on the market since TSCA was passed 35 years ago, a number that has increased to 85,000 chemicals today. (3)

Moms are the push Congress needs to pass the Safe Chemicals Act. In the last three years, 18 states have passed 71 chemical safety laws.(4) It’s the hard work of people like you across the country that has made these changes happen. Now we can bring the momentum of these state successes to the national level.

Lets tell our Senators that it’s time to take a lesson from our home states and pass comprehensive chemicals reform for the entire country. Ask your Senator to cosponsor the Safe Chemicals Act: http://action.momsrising.org/letter/NewTSCA1/

Powerful voices in the health world are speaking up for an overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American Nurses Association.(5)They know that our broken chemical screening system puts our families at risk for cancer, learning disabilities, infertility, and more. And we know that when the health of our kids is at stake, there’s nothing we won’t do to keep them safe.

The Safe Chemicals Act would require the EPA to identify and restrict the most dangerous chemicals, and would require basic health and safety information for all chemicals as a condition for entering or remaining on the market. It would also work to reduce the burden of toxic chemical exposures on people of color and low-income and indigenous communities, and provide the EPA with the tools and resources it needs to identify and address chemicals posing health and environmental concerns.

We can’t protect our kids and families from toxics without updating legislation like the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The Safe Chemicals Act is that important update. Ask your Senator to cosponsor the Safe Chemicals Act: http://action.momsrising.org/letter/NewTSCA1/

And please share this link with your family and friends; the more voices we have, the stronger the message to Congress!

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